The Third World War

In spite of the oceans of words about atom bombs, total war and the end of mankind that have flooded the country for the past fifteen years, it is obvious that neither we citizens of the United States nor our political leaders really believe that we are in any acute military danger. If we really believed in a genuine threat of nuclear war, our conduct would be very different from the present pattern.

If the President really believed in the war danger, he would not call war “unthinkable.” He would not permit the Secretary of the Treasury and the Budget Director to decide the limits and development rate of our military apparatus, as happened at Augusta just prior to his global departure. He would, instead, order the Chiefs of Staff to provide everything needed to secure the nation against the danger; and would then instruct Mr. Anderson and Mr. Stans to find budgetary and fiscal measures adequate to finance the required military level.

JB

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James Burnham

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In spite of the oceans of words about atom bombs, total war and the end of mankind that have flooded the country for the past fifteen years, it is obvious that neither we citizens of the United States nor our political leaders really believe that we are in any acute military danger. If we really believed in a genuine threat of nuclear war, our conduct would be very different from the present pattern.

If the President really believed in the war danger, he would not call war “unthinkable.” He would not permit the Secretary of the Treasury and the Budget Director to decide the limits and development rate of our military apparatus, as happened at Augusta just prior to his global departure. He would, instead, order the Chiefs of Staff to provide everything needed to secure the nation against the danger; and would then instruct Mr. Anderson and Mr. Stans to find budgetary and fiscal measures adequate to finance the required military level.